Bangladesh may face “significant risks” from PFAS exposure due to its clothing sector

A new study has found that people in Bangladesh may face “serious risks” of PFAS exposure from the country’s garment industry.

According to research by the Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO), a Bangladesh-based non-governmental organization and research institution, “forever chemicals” have contaminated Bangladesh’s surface and tap water, as well as IPEN, a collective of 600 public interest groups from concerned developing countries with chemical and waste policy.

More in “Sourcing Journal”.

Study partners tested and analyzed water from 31 rivers and lakes in communities near textile production centers that produce clothing for brands including Benetton, C&A, Calvin Klein, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Zara.

PFAS chemicals were detected in 27 of 31 surface water samples (87 percent), and in 18 of those samples (58 percent), researchers found chemicals that were listed for global elimination under the Stockholm Convention. Nineteen samples representing 61 percent of the total batch tested showed PFAS levels above proposed EU regulatory limits for surface water.

The study found that water samples collected near textile manufacturing facilities contained higher concentrations of PFAS, “providing further evidence that the textile industry may be a significant source of PFAS water contamination.” For example, two of the waterways studied were located below and above the domestic export processing zones in Dhaka and Adamjee, and downstream samples showed higher concentrations of PFAS, supporting the idea that chemicals are flowing from these facilities at a dangerous rate.

Several surface water samples showed alarmingly high concentrations of PFAS, with one containing more than 310 times the limit value proposed by EU regulations.

The groups also tested four samples of tap water, which yielded disturbing results. The analysis found PFAS in three of four samples collected at levels exceeding U.S. regulatory limits for PFOA.

Bangladesh does not currently have its own regulatory framework for PFAS, but that does not mean that contamination of natural resources does not pose a threat to its people. The compounds, which scientists say leach into groundwater and food sources, have been linked to negative effects on fertility and fetal development.

A 2022 study found that chronic exposure in children led to elevated blood cholesterol levels, lipid imbalances that can cause cardiovascular disease, lower birth weight and reduced antibody responses to certain infections and vaccines. PFOS, a chemical belonging to the PFAS family, has been linked to liver damage, while PFOA, another member of the PFAS family, has been found to cause cancer.

It is hard to deny that the clothing and textile sector is largely responsible for the spread of toxic substances, as it accounts for 50 percent of total global PFAS consumption and is the second largest source of PFAS emissions on Earth.

Bangladesh may be a particularly high-risk market, given that ready-made garment (RMG) manufacturing is a significant driver of the country’s economy. According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the industry accounts for 83 percent of Bangladesh’s total exports. Approximately four million workers are employed in 3,500 factories across the country, indicating a high likelihood of direct exposure to PFAS.

Residents who do not work in factories are not necessarily safe from such exposure. Five items of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing purchased from Bangladeshi retailers were tested and all contained PFAS, with one item of clothing containing PFOA, a suspected carcinogen.

The study’s findings “provide evidence that the textile industry may be a significant source of PFAS water contamination, not only by posing a risk of exposure of Bangladeshis to PFAS through water, food, and clothing, but also more broadly due to their properties as global pollutants,” the authors wrote tests.

“Based on the results of this study, ESDO and IPEN call on the textile industry to phase out the use of PFAS,” they added. Policymakers also have an important role to play as regulations are needed to establish penalties for the use of chemicals. Finally, it is also incumbent on “branded companies” that have “tremendous market influence” to demand PFAS-free products, they wrote.